The crystal meth epidemic tearing the young heart out of a country town

An increase in the use of the drug ice is believed to be behind a rise in violence and suicide in the regional Victorian town of Mildura.

Transcript

TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: In the last 10 years, the drug known as Ice has spread like wildfire among drug users across the country, so much so that Australians are among the biggest users in the developed world.

The drug delivers an intense high, but the lows are equally extreme.

In the regional Victorian city of Mildura, Ice has been linked to a rise in violent crime and more recently to a spate of suicides in the Indigenous community.

Mildura's ice problem coincides with the arrival in town of outlaw motorcycle gangs, and as Dan Oakes discovered, the bikies' presence has locals fearful about speaking out.

DAN OAKES, REPORTER: On the southern bank of the Murray, Mildura is best known for its orange orchards and houseboats. But there is a darker undercurrent running through this town: widespread and increasing use of the drug Ice. Ice, or methamphetamine, is a highly addictive drug that releases huge amounts of dopamine in the brain. Ice addicts are prone to violence, paranoia and anxiety.

Simon Divola's addiction to the drug began after he was viciously bashed during a night out in Mildura.

SIMON DIVOLA: My jaw was clean broken on one side, displaced and fractured on the other, and then had to have surgery, metal plates put in my jaw. And, yeah, ended up with post-traumatic stress, severe anxiety, severe depression. And, yeah, tried to get myself right and everything and then ended up self-medicating myself. And, yeah, started on Ice because it was one thing that calmed me down.

DAN OAKES: Over breakfast at his parents' house, Simon is starting his 16th day free from the drug. His habit, which cost him up to $1,000 a day, was only exposed when his ex-partner found his drug paraphernalia. The father of two is now facing criminal charges stemming from his Ice use.

SIMON DIVOLA: When I first started using it, it was only sort of, like, once every few weeks. It started becoming an everyday thing. I basically sat by myself for two days. And, yeah, smoke 35 points in two days and blew like 2,000 bucks of my own money.

DAN OAKES: Darlene Sanders' life has been turned upside down by her own son's drug use.

DARLENE SANDERS: There were nights where I would actually pray that God would take him so it stops, so we're free. I would pray that his time in jail was longer because when he's there, I can sleep at night and so the rest of the family, we're all relaxed.

DAN OAKES: Darlene's son is on parole after serving a prison sentence for robbery, but she considers herself lucky he's still alive. As many as five Indigenous men hooked on Ice have killed themselves in recent months in the Mildura area.

DARLENE SANDERS: That age group of men between 18 and 25, they are - we're either losing them to the grave, we're losing them to the mental health system, we're losing them to the jail systems. When they're passing, well, we're losing that whole generation.

DAN OAKES: Last year, locals became so concerned about the rise in methamphetamine use in Mildura, that they founded a taskforce known as Project Ice, designed to educate the Mildura community about the effects the drug has on users. The group consists of police, health workers and Indigenous leaders.

ROB MCGLASHAN, NORTHERN MALLEE PRIMARY CARE PARTNERSHIP: Our best option is to educate people, to say, "Look, methamphetamines, it's not a drug you even try once. It's so powerfully addictive that if you take it once, you'll want to take it again and that'll lead into drug-taking on a regular basis." A lot of users end up being dealers as well, Dan, to try and pay for the habit.

DAN OAKES: Chuck Ordiono, a financial planner for the company Elders, hosts an annual Christmas party for his clients. Tonight he's asked a Project Ice educator to talk about the drug.

CHUCK ORDIONO, ELDERS: So if you do think that someone is taking Ice, don't hesitate to contact someone. Because the more you talk about it, the more chance we've got on getting on top of this.

DAN OAKES: When the forum was opened to questions, talk quickly turned to who was responsible for bringing Ice to Mildura.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Is there any correlation between, in the last 12 months, Ice turning up in the district and the Rebels turning up at the same time?

AUDIENCE MEMBER II: Oooooh!

CAMERA OPERATOR: I'll just turn the camera off.

(Laughter from audience member)

CHUCK ORDIONO: It's probably a good question because probably a lot of people are thinking that or asking that question. I couldn't really answer it because I don't work in the law enforcement.

AUDIENCE MEMBER III: Since that mob that you mentioned coming to town, I've heard that they're pushing it on young kids, getting them addicted to it and then making them deal it.

DAN OAKES: Earlier this month, Victorian MPs travelled to Mildura to learn about the damage wrought on the town by methamphetamine.

The local Aboriginal service presented evidence to the inquiry about Indigenous youth being targeted by Mildura's drug dealers. It was claimed that they provide free samples, then when the user is hooked, force them to work as dealers.

NAHTANHA DAVEY, MALLEE DISTRICT ABORIGINAL SERVICE: They're ashamed because they've got a debt that they've accrued and they're ashamed because perhaps, you know, in some cases, they've been contacted by the dealer and dealers threatened them and their family.

DAN OAKES: None ever the people 7.30 interviewed for this story would discuss where methamphetamine causing so much damage in Mildura is actually coming from. The people of this isolated country town are too frightened to publicly point the finger. But we've been told privately by many that the Rebels, an outlaw bikie gang, are the main suppliers of methamphetamine in the town. Since coming to Mildura four years ago, we've been told, the gang has cost a pall of fear over Ice users, their friends and their families.

Locking locals told us that bikies and their associates had taken drug users into the bush near Mildura and bashed them severely over drug debts. It was alleged that the families of drug users who committed suicide were told by bikies that the debt had now passed to them. Police say that information from the community about the reasons for the suicides is being considered by investigators who are preparing reports for the coroner, but they're not focused specifically on the Rebels.

PAUL NAYLOR, VICTORIA POLICE: It would be silly to say that there would be one group that would be responsible for the distribution of amphetamines in Mildura. We certainly consider all OMCGs. We also consider other organised crime networks which may be also working in the town. I think that the community would be disappointed if we put - we were seen to be putting all our eggs in one basket per se.

DAN OAKES: Regardless of who supplies it, Ice is quietly eating away at this far-flung community, rich and poor, young and old, black and white, and those left behind are the ones paying the price.

DARLENE SANDERS: Our young ones, they're supposed to bury us, we're not supposed to bury them and that's where it's hard, because we go to some funerals and we sort of don't cry any more. And it shouldn't be like that.